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TACKLING THE RISING COST OF COLLEGE BY IMPROVING DEGREE EFFICIENCY

By ensuring that curriculum has a clear path and by providing robust advising, WSSU has reduced the average number of credit hours a student attempts from 137 to 128 since 2013. The UNC System average is 139.2 credit hours. By improving efficiently, WSSU is helping students save thousands of dollars of tuition, room and board. They also enter the workforce sooner, which gives them a head start in paying off any debt they did incur.

UNIVERSITY HONORED AS A “SOCIAL MOBILITY INNOVATOR”

Technology provider CollegeNET recognized WSSU for its commitment to advancing the economic opportunity of its students, naming the university a “Social Mobility Innovator.” In 2014, CollegeNET created the Social Mobility Index, a data-driven system that ranks U.S. colleges and universities according to how effectively they enroll students from low-income backgrounds and graduate them into promising careers. WSSU has ranked among the top 20 U.S. colleges and universities for three consecutive years.

WSSU REIMAGINES THE SCIENCE LAB

When students take the lead in developing the types of experiments that are conducted in the research-based laboratory, they gain a better understanding of scientific concepts. In 2017, WSSU’s Biological Sciences Department redesigned the curriculum for the first-year biology lab to support faculty-mentored research. Instead of a “cookbook” lab where students follow directions in a manual, students are responsible for devising experiments and collecting data as they would in a true research lab. The goal is to use the course as a blueprint to refresh all freshman-level science courses.

AGREEMENT ASSURES RECENT GRAD A PATH TO DOCTORATE

A new program is providing students with a head start on their graduate education. Alexis McCrea began taking courses in WSSU’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program in January 2017, five months before earning her bachelor’s degree. McCrea is the first to take advantage of an early assurance agreement that aims to promote diversity in WSSU’s graduate programs, providing guaranteed admission for WSSU graduates who meet specific admissions requirements.